Rearrange priority columns.

[Devdabomber]

In the work tab, I think it would be cool if we could also arrange what has higher/lower priority. I know there are manual priorities. I just want to be able to arrange the columns all swippity swappity . Example:



I think this would be a quick and simple way to increase/decrease priorities when needed.

[Tertnes]

Excellent idea. I'm always trying to get perfect priorities for everyone, and 5 tiers (including forbidden) isn't always enough.

[skullywag]

Moving the whole column could break other colonists work priority. This only fills a "I want this 1 job type to be done first by everyone assigned to it" and would mean having to mess about in this screen to put things back when that job was done. I'm sure this screen needs an improvement I just dont feel this is it.

[Devdabomber]

Moving the whole column could break other colonists work priority. This only fills a "I want this 1 job type to be done first by everyone assigned to it" and would mean having to mess about in this screen to put things back when that job was done. I'm sure this screen needs an improvement I just dont feel this is it.

I don't see how it would "Break" their work priority. It's kind of the entire point of my idea to completely rearrange all colonists if needed.
Maybe you're right though. I just like the idea of quickly getting one job done without arranging all the numbers because I'm terrible at arranging them.

[skullywag]

Ok so to add an option to this as I just came in here and went "nah" without offering any alternatives, why not have a right click action on the individual colonists job, Highlight it green or whatever, means do this job above everything else right now, until you right click again. Then you could quite quickly (probably as quickly as dragging and dropping a column) right click a few boxes and those colonists would go do those jobs first.

[Weyrling]

I always use manual priorities, so I can basically tell somebody "Construct if you aren't hauling, but always clean first", and I don't know how I could manage a colony without that explicit ability (Though I'd probably never set those particular priorities).

Skullywag, your first response sort of implied that you don't use manual priorities, and I guess without manual priorities it's just a boolean checkmark? If that's the case then I can understand why this suggestion might have a more global effect, but I'd still find it awfully useful.

Having the ability to give each colonist a 'preferred job' is a decent alternative though, and it could work out just as well, but it strikes me as kind of odd that your suggestion is basically "add a second stage of manual priority options into the automatic priority list".

[skullywag]

No thats not what i understood the OPs post to be about, I do use manual priorities when i need to. I thought he wanted a temporary switch of job priorities, something that overrides whatever youve set, otherwise as you state why not just use the manual ones as he points out he knows of.

[Jstank]

I think you should be able to assign a work area like a zone to which a colonist is assigned to work. Select ED... drag a work zone around the kitchen... assign a number to said work zone 1-4. ED will now do all jobs located within his number 1 priorty work zone first then two, three etc. I think that would be a much more elegant system and solve the I'm going to walk clear across the map to hunt that boom rat that is a bigillion miles away because it is higher priority than that mine block to which is 2 seconds to my left thing. That way you won't need separate warden,cook,hunt,grow,mine,plant cut, craft, and research. Those will all be context sensitive to the block that you select as the work area. Hunting would be any wild animal that walks into a designated hunting area I will hunt. Any one who walks into my medical ward I will heal. Even cleaning could be thrown in there but have it. If all my work zones are devoid of work then I will clean my work zone.

I also had the sliding priorities window idea. Its a good idea. I think that if your going to do that then i would run it with the green check marks instead of the numbers. I have found that If I put everything on 1 the pure survival things are on the left while the higher level stuff is on the right. so I would just at first enable everything, then when I got more colonists I would put them on the back end of the priority list. Being able to manage those priority master order makes sense and could save some micromanagement.

[Devdabomber]

I think you should be able to assign a work area like a zone to which a colonist is assigned to work. Select ED... drag a work zone around the kitchen... assign a number to said work zone 1-4. ED will now do all jobs located within his number 1 priorty work zone first then two, three etc. I think that would be a much more elegant system and solve the I'm going to walk clear across the map to hunt that boom rat that is a bigillion miles away because it is higher priority than that mine block to which is 2 seconds to my left thing. That way you won't need separate warden,cook,hunt,grow,mine,plant cut, craft, and research. Those will all be context sensitive to the block that you select as the work area. Hunting would be any wild animal that walks into a designated hunting area I will hunt. Any one who walks into my medical ward I will heal. Even cleaning could be thrown in there but have it. If all my work zones are devoid of work then I will clean my work zone.

I also had the sliding priorities window idea. Its a good idea. I think that if your going to do that then i would run it with the green check marks instead of the numbers. I have found that If I put everything on 1 the pure survival things are on the left while the higher level stuff is on the right. so I would just at first enable everything, then when I got more colonists I would put them on the back end of the priority list. Being able to manage those priority master order makes sense and could save some micromanagement.

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I love this idea. At any rate, I believe the priority system is one of the most frustrating things I've experienced in the game. I really hope this is up there in Tynans priorities. Crosses fingers*